Electric cable staple



Aug. 25, 1959 VOEKS 2,901,200

ELECTRIC CABLE STAPLE Filed April 23, 1956 Orville A. V0 eks 4 IN V EN TOR. By @403.

- Ammo United States Patent ELECTRIC CABLE STAPLE Orville A. Voeks, Baileys Harbor, Wis.

Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 579,992

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-74) This invention generally relates to a fastening device and more specifically provides a fastening device for securing an electric cable, cord or wire to a surface for securing an electric cable, cord or wire to a surface in a safe, neat and efiicient manner.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a staple or fastening device for an electrical cable or conduit which is safe in all of its aspects wherein the staple may be installed without injury to the electrical conductor as Well as the securing surface and the person doing the installation is safe from the usual mashed fingers which sometimes occurs when holding small nails for securing electric cables and straps to a supporting surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric cable strap including a body of non-conductive material which is preferably constructed of plastic which is impervious to exterior weather conditions and forms a complete insulation for the electrical cable.

A further important feature of the present invention is to provide a U-shaped strap or body with the legs slightly inclined inwardly so that it is frictionally gripped to the cable and held firmly in the desired upright position for easier hammering of the nails thereby eliminating injury to the fingers.

Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a safety electric cable fastening device including a strap having legs with slightly inclined bores so that the nails will extend inwardly so that the cable may be secured to a surface adjacent an edge thereof without splitting or chipping off of the edge of the surface as often occurs when nailing electric cables or the like to molding or similar small pieces of wood, thereby losing nuch of the holding power and disfiguring the said surace.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide an electric cable staple or strap including means for holding the nails firmly in retracted or withdrawn position so that the nails and the strap may be accurately positioned and held in the desired position for easier hammering thereby reducing the time necessary and reducing the tendency of such nails to bend or otherwise become misplaced while driving as well as reducing the tendency to injure the fingers and to provide a neater cable run.

Other objects of the present invention will reside in its simplicity of construction, ease of assembly, adaptation for its particular purposes and its extremely inexpensive manufacturing cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cable staple of the present invention illustrating the cable in phantom and illustrating the nails in their secured position;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the electric ICC cable staple of the present invention illustrating the nails in retarded or retracted position;

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the nails in their secured position and illustrating the relationship of the nails to the edge of the supporting surface; and v Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the arrangement of Figure 2.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the electric cable staple of the present invention which includes a generally U-shaped body 12 having a pair of fiat bottomed legs 14 which extend inwardly with the inner surface of the legs 14 forming substantially a cylindrical curved C-shaped surface 16 which extends for more than one-half of the cylindrical surface of the electric cable 18 whereby the legs 14 will clip onto the cable 18 and firmly position the U-shaped strap or body 12 thereon. Disposed in each of the legs 14 is an elongated bore 20 which is also inclined and substantially parallel to the outer surfaces of the legs 14 for receiving small bodied nails 22 having headed ends 24 as well as pointed ends 26 for insertion into a supporting surface 28 thereby mounting the cable 18 on the supporting surface 28. The legs 14 have inner surfaces 15 flaring relatively from said C-shaped surface 16 to facilitate clipping over the cable 18.

Figure 3 illustrates the nails 22 being in secured position wherein the inclined or converging nature of the nails 22 permits the cable to be supported adjacent the edge 30 of the supporting member 28 without the outermost nail 22 splitting the supporting member 28. This is especially useful in mounting the electric cable 18 on small molding or trim work in the interior of a building. Inasmuch as the bore 20 is constructed for frictionally gripping the nail 22 for firmly holding the nails in re tarded position and since the inclined construction of the legs 14 clamps the body or strap 12 firmly on the cable 18, the nails 22 are firmly held in position to permit accurate positioning of the cable 18 and to permit the heads 24 of the nails 22 to be engaged with a hammer more easily and without bruising or mashing fingers. As will be seen, the bores 20 converge relatively in a manner such that the nails may be driven therethrough into the supporting member 28 in converging relation to compress the body and legs against the cable 18. The body 12 may be constructed of any suitable material which is of an insulating nature such as plastic or the like and if desired, screw threaded screws maybe employed instead of the nails 22 where more holding power is desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and de scribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A device for mounting an electric cable on a supporting member comprising a generally U-shaped resilient body of insulation material having relatively converging legs forming with said body of a C-shaped inner surface of a circumference greater than one-half of the circumference of a cable whereby said device is adapted to clip over a cable and conformably grip the same, said legs having inner surfaces intersecting said C-shaped surface and inclining in flaring relation from said 0- shaped surface to facilitate clipping the device over a cable, and said body and legs having a pair of relatively converging nail bores therethrough at opposite sides of said O-shaped inner surface for driving a pair of nails therethrough into a supporting member in converging relation to compress said body and legs against a cable, said legs having flat bottoms and being of a length to engage a supporting member when the device is clipped over a cable of a given size engaged with a supporting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 470,698 Murdock Mar. 15, 1892 Copell June 13, 1939 Carson July 28, 1942 Ellinwood Sept. 26, 1944 Anderson Apr. 8, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS France Dec. 13, 1932.

(First addition of Patent 73 6,735) 

